Mpumi Manyisi

I am a lover of sports podcasts, and I genuinely enjoyed the debut edition of Sport of Life. But before I even get into the substance of the conversation, Lonwabo and Mpumi clearly came with the mentality of “go big or go home” because bringing in former Netball South Africa President and Africa Netball President Cecilia Molokwane for your debut episode is a statement of intent! I also remember how Tebogo Lebotse-Sebego advocated and fought hard for Botswana and South Africa to host major global netball events. Botswana hosted the Netball World Youth Cup in 2017, while South Africa made history by hosting the Netball World Cup in 2023, the first edition of the senior tournament on African soil. These were significant milestones for African netball. I have plenty to say about this conversation, but my million-dollar question is this: Why has it taken World Netball and everyone involved approximately one year and eight months to communicate a verdict? Think about the implications of that timeline. In sports administration, accountability is not just about eventually reaching a decision; it is also about the time it takes to reach that decision and the uncertainty people are left dealing with in the meantime. If the process has taken this long, what explains the delay? Were there procedural complications, investigations that required more time, or other factors that the public deserves to understand? Because while institutions deliberate, leadership does not simply pause. If my understanding of the timeline is correct, we are now looking at roughly a year with someone serving as Acting President of Africa Netball. That raises serious questions about governance, stability, transparency and the future direction of the continental body. I have so much more to say, but for now, I will leave it there. Lonwabo and Mpumi have certainly opened a conversation that deserves much deeper scrutiny. @WorldNetball_ youtu.be/zlPQb1Leirg?si=MqOh…